Does anybody think that Iraq was better off under Saddam Hussein?: Yesterday George Bush asked that question. It's important to know: Is Iraq better off without Saddam Hussein? Are the families of the dead and wounded better off? Are the US people safer? Is the region more stable? What are the prospects of Iraq under the occupation?

The Independent reports on some of the statistics that help answer that question.

"The total of Allied soldiers killed since Saddam Hussein was deposed on 9 April is 230. The death toll includes 207 American servicemen and 20 Britons. During September, civilian deaths by gunfire in Baghdad totalled 518. Under Saddam, deaths from gun violence in Baghdad averaged 6 per month. According to the central morgue in Baghdad, violent deaths reached 872 in August. The highest monthly toll in the previous year was 237 deaths, with just 21 from gunfire.
Oil & Fuel
Only 300 petrol outlets for Iraq's 25 million people. Officially cheap and available but most rely on the black market. Refineries producing only 1.25m barrels of crude a day, compared with 2.4m barrels a month before the war. Estimated cost of restoring oil production to the pre-1991 level of 3.5m barrels per day is $6.6bn. Iraq is exporting 70,000 barrels per day compared with 1.8m per day before the war.
Food
Three out of five Iraqis depend on food aid. Before the invasion of Kuwait in 1990 and the imposition of UN sanctions, Iraq was one of the best fed countries in the Middle East. Then, it imported two thirds of its needs.
Water
Safe drinking water is now available to 60% of the population, compared with 85% before the war. The amount proposed by the Coalition Provisional Authority to spend on a new water system is $2.8bn to give 90% of the population a supply of safe drinking water.
Education
Iraq has 15,000 schools and 1.5m secondary school pupils. The United States says 7,000 schools needed repair before the war. So far, 175 have been repaired.
Media
The number of newspapers and magazines being published since Saddam's fall is 189. This compares with 39 under Saddam, all of which were tightly controlled and censored.
Reconstruction
The total cost of rebuilding Iraq is estimated at $100bn"
- posted by geoff @ #